Teaching Machines: General Purpose and Special Purpose

The main purpose of this paper is to present and clarify the subdivision of teaching machines into the General Purpose and Special Purpose categories. Initial defining of: Teaching Machines, General Purpose Teaching Machines, Special Purpose Teaching Machines, and Teaching Machine Technology will establish a frame of reference within which this paper will be presented. The distinctions between the general purpose and special purpose teaching machines will be in the areas of the motivations of each type, the differences in the-basic functional block diagrams, if any, and the applications of each type to technical training and engineering education. A prediction is also given.